Transcript Documenting the process and Reporting your Progress

Documenting Complex
Projects
Jeffrey Donnell
MRDC 3104
894-8568
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Agenda
• How to organize the report
• Specific deliverables
• How to use and display graphics
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Project reports
Reports describe deliverables:
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Systems
Subsystems
Function trees
Morph charts
Concept drawings
Evaluation matrices
Reports explain methods
– How did you develop numerical values
for evaluation?
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Format for Project Reports
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Abstract
Introduction
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Overview
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Goals and problems
Selected Design
Discussion
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Presentation of planning tools
(when required)
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Presentation of Concepts
(plus evaluation / selection)
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Analysis of operation
(when possible)
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Closing matter
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Summary
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The Spaghetti Project
• Introduction
• Design Overview
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What is this?
What is it supposed to do?
What are its features?
How does it work?
How do the features meet your goals?
What problems are raised?
• Discussion
– Results
– Failure analysis
• Closing summary
Reports thus far have been
chronologically organized!
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The mini-project
Here’s what you do:
• Analyze the problem
• Develop specifications
• Define functions
• Generate concepts
• Evaluate concepts
– Final Product Design!
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The Mini-project Report
Logical Organization Presents the
Design First
• Introduction
– Need Statement and Problem Statement
• Design Overview
– Description of selected design, with figure
• Discussion
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Specifications
Functional definitions
Concept alternatives (illustrated)
Evaluation of alternatives
• Closing
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Mini-project Deliverables
Week 1
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Illustrations of original concepts
Note: Variants are not original!
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Mini-project Deliverables
Week 2
A PowerPoint presentation describing
your selected design:
1. Complete System Drawing
2. Component / Detail Drawings
as needed
3. Explanation of operation
4. Explanation of why it was selected
Alternatives may be shown to
support explanation.
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Mini Project Final Report
Introduction
– Project goal(s) and challenges
Overview of Selected design
– Present and describe integrated system
Concept presentation
– Present Concept alternatives
Concept Evaluation
– Describe Evaluation method
Closing Summary
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